A new season, a new desire to scoop up every cool item out for sale now. How to keep your sanity and wallet in check? Identifying the pieces that you wouldn't even imagine you could ever craft (aka most things) and buying those — but making the rest. This season, we've got our eye on bright midi skirts (that we can totally handpaint), earrings that mimic zippers (that we can totally glue ourselves) and stunning heels that we could DIY for something like 10% of the cost of the real thing. Ready to roll up your sleeves and get to work? Great. Click below for the latest pieces we're adding to our DIY to-do list.

Viv Westwood Skirt

Viv Westwood Skirt, DIYed

This lovely art-school-ready skirt has a slightly messy look to it, which lends itself to a handpainted DIY. Use the color of your choice and a paintbrush — or have fun with stamps premade or crafted out of vegetables.

Alison Baitz is a freelance fashion and culture writer. When she's not busy chatting about online shopping or rooting out cool new designers, she's interviewing up-and-coming musicians or sampling food for articles and calling it research. She's proud to be a part of the DC-based food zine The Runcible Spoon. Yes, she is on Twitter: @itsmealison.